Badge press

ABSTRACT

The invention is a press utilizing transfer dies for rapidly assembling badges or similar items made from laminar material. The transfer dies are hollow and shaped to register with each other. A first die having a sharpened wedge-shaped edge performs the functions of cutting badge material to size and then holding the badge material in its hollow interior. Second and third dies, arranged to successively register with the first die, each include a piston which pushes cut badge material into the first die where the material is accumulated until a complete badge is formed.



1. Transfer dies comprising, a frame, first and second registering dies movably mounted on the frame for mutual registry, said second die including a shoulder for material support and said first die including wedge means for holding material received from the shoulder of the second die when said dies are in registry, and material transfer means disposed below the shoulder of the second die for forcing material resting on the shoulder into the wedge means of the first die.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said material transfer means is a piston which is coaxially mounted in movable telescopic relationship relative to said second die but is fixed relative to the frame so that compressive movement of the second die relative to the piston causes material transfer from the shoulder of the second die into the first die when the first and second dies are in registry thereby permitting the first die to accumulate material for laminated badge formation.
 3. In a press for rapidly forming laminar badges where the press is of the type having a sharpened first hollow die for cutting material and a second hollow die defining a shoulder grooved for registering with said sharpened first hollow die and supporting cut material thereon the improvement comprising, material tRansfer means mounted for movement through said second hollow die for pushing laminar material supported on said shoulder of said second die into said first die, when said first and second dies are in registry, and force means for activating said material transfer means when said first and second die are in registry thereby pushing together laminar materials placed on said shoulder.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said material transfer means is a piston having a resilient suspension coaxial with said second die so that force applied by the force means against the second die moves the second die coaxially over the piston thereby enabling the piston to push material on the shoulder into the first die and return to its original position by resilient action.
 5. A press for rapidly forming badges from laminar material comprising, a frame having upper and lower second portions, a first die movably mounted on the upper portion of the frame for motion between the first and second frame ends, second and third dies mounted on the lower portion of the frame for motion in a path transverse to the motion of the first die so that each of the second and third dies can come into registry with the first die, material transfer means mounted for movement through the second and third dies for forcing material placed within second and third dies into said first die when said first die is in registry with each of said second and third and force is exerted to dies in registry, force means mounted on the frame for applying force to the first die when in registry with another die thereby activating said material transfer means so that material is forced into the first die from each of said second and third dies, thereby forcibly combining badge materials.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said material transfer means is a piston.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the second and third dies are mounted for rotary motion.
 8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein adjustable die alignment means are provided on the second end of the frame for stopping the motion of each of the second and third dies in an aligned position for registry with said first die.
 9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the first die includes a projecting cylindrical edge having a pointed wedge-shaped cross section with the wedge point facing a registering die so that materials of diameter greater than said cylindrical edge placed in the press can be cut by said pointed wedge.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said piston means is adapted for mounting on the frame and wherein each of said second and third dies comprises a hollow cylinder surrounding the upper position of the piston in a telescopic mounting therewith, the cylinder having a diameter slightly different than the cylindrical edge of the first die for achieving registry therewith, said cylinder defining a shoulder near the upper portion thereof for supporting material so that compressive telescopic motion of the piston and cylinder causes the piston to push material supported on the shoulder away from said second and third dies toward and into said first die.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 where in the piston and sleeve of said second die includes removable locking means for preventing telescopic action therebetween so that material of diameter greater than the cylindrical edge of the first die, which material is supported on the shoulder of the second die, will be cut by said wedge point when the first and second dies are in registry. 